Page 26 of Prognosis Temporary

Unfortunately, Sebastian must have had the same idea, practically bumping into her a couple of hours later as she was standing outside an expensive looking boutique.

‘Oh...hey,’ he said as he pulled up short.

Maybe he was faking his surprise at seeing her and had actually been following her but he was very convincing. Or maybe it was just the universe determined to keep throwing them together.

‘Hey,’ she said. ‘You out doing a spot of shopping?’

‘Ah, no. I met an old colleague of mine for lunch.’

Callie instantly wondered whether it was a male or a female colleague and then, just as instantly, castigated herself for her train of thought.

‘What are you doing, standing in the middle of the footpath?’

Callie was pleased for another topic of conversation, tuning quickly to face the shop window again and the most gorgeous dress she’d ever seen. It was so beautiful it had stopped her in her tracks.

‘The dress,’ she murmured.

He turned also until they were standing side by side, their arms almost touching. ‘Well...I don’t pretend to know much about women’s dresses but – ’ He let out a long, low whistle.

Callie smiled. ‘Exactly.’

‘So, are you going to get it?’

She looked at it longingly but the facade of the trendy little shop reeked of money and she knew she’d never be able to afford the price tag. She sighed. ‘No.’

‘But you want it.’

It wasn’t a question. ‘Yes.’

‘You need a dress for tonight, right?’

Callie nodded. ‘Yes. I’ve packed one though.’

‘Well sure...But you want this one.’

Callie’s teeth sank into her bottom lip as she stared at the dress. There were a lot of things she couldn’t have in life including the man standing right next to her...

‘Come on.’ He grabbed her elbow and tugged her towards the door. ‘You should at least try it on.’

She almost said no as she resisted his tug but then...what the hell, right? Acquiescing, she let Sebastian drag her into the shop.

The elegant shop assistant, who could have been Marion’s twin sister, gave Callie a polite, perfunctory smile and then leapt to attention as Sebastian swept in behind her, telling the woman Callie wanted to try on the dress in the window.

Callie watched bemused as the boutique owner fell over herself to help. Sebastian was ushered to a plush leather lounge situated in a large sitting area outside the fitting rooms as the owner found the dress in Callie’s size and hung it in the cubicle. She even made him a coffee.

Ensconced in a cubicle she could have thrown a party in, it all felt very surreal to Callie. Like a scene from Pretty Woman. Staring at the dream of a dress, Callie touched it reverently., wanting it but afraid to ruin its crisp perfection by putting her body inside it.

Still, it called to her and she couldn’t resist.

The second it floated down over her head, Callie had to have it. The deep purple fabric was satiny cool against her skin, close fitting but moving and stretching with every flex and twist of her body. The strapless bodice was smooth over her breasts.

It emphasised the thrust of her chest in a way she’d thought only screen sirens from the 1940s had been able to perfect. The fabric clung to her hips and her long legs and the contours of her butt and draped to the floor, the ruffled hem flaring a touch and pooling in a slight train behind her.

It was simply the most stunning thing she’d ever worn.

‘You’re not going to make me come in there, are you?’

Sebastian’s voice brought her out of her daze as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her belly heated at the thought of him seeing her in it. It was a dress a woman wore for a man.

---